In this interview, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State explains how he has decided to tackle the challenge of providing infrastructure for the people of his state, as according to him, the people did not vote for him to be giving excuses. He also spoke on a wide range of issues including the rancour between his administration and the immediate past government of ex-governor Rotimi Amaechi and why he has decided to complete projects started by the last administration. Excerpts:

By Emma Ujah  Abuja Bureau Chief

Your predecessor has accused you of a witch-hunt as exemplified in the forceful evacuation of a vehicle belonging to his former commissioner. Why?

You can recollect that after our inauguration we went into Government House and we told the whole world, first of all, that there was no handover note. If there was a handover note that would have guided you to say look this is where we started and this is where we ended; these were the things that were given to people as a kind of parting gift or whatever. We later learnt that the Government House had been looted.   There was just nothing.   The last government said that I sent people to take those things away so that I would award contracts for the replacement.   I said I didn’t need to carry anything away before I award contracts. So the issue of removing those ones so that I will go and award contracts is not correct.

What is the state of finance of Rivers state?

From what the Accountant-General gave me, first of all, we have what we call the government account and the government account was zero. The other ones are ministries’ accounts and I can tell you in ministry of works two days to our inauguration they were collecting  10 million, 200 million to go and build curves, roads. So I called the perm sec and I said perm sec you mean you people gave someone contract and you paid him cash of 200 million and he said ‘oga I refused but there was nothing I could do.   It is so funny.

The last administration claimed it left N7 billion in the coffers. Did you see the N7 billion?

They say they kept N7 billion, how could you have kept N7 billion and you are owing salary for how many months, what is the N7 billion doing there?

For two months they haven’t paid salary; April and May they haven’t paid. Shark, Dolphins and Rivers Angels were owed 8 months.   I had to give them their money last week it was just this morning the permanent secretary said he is paying all the civil servants today (Monday). So how can you say you kept N7 billion? Four months refuse contractors where not paid and the whole Port Harcourt was filled with refuse and you said you kept N7 billion.   The N7 billion is to do what with it now? And you owe refuse contractor for four months, sharks, dolphin and Rivers angel 8 months, pensioners haven’t been paid up till now since February. If you find any money anywhere it was because we started raising alarm by 26th, 27th of May.

Some banks in order for us not be angry with them had to stop some cheques in fact there was one money of N700 million naira, two Skye Bank cheques that didn’t go through because we raised an alarm.

Even by 28th of May money was being taken out of some government accounts; how do you justify that? Frankly speaking looking at ministry of works alone of the contracts that were awarded the debt is not less than N150 billion.

Just Ministry of Works only I am not talking of Ministry of Health and the others but the one he said he owes Zenith bank is about N15 billion so we are negotiating with Zenith Bank.   Zenith bank was deducting 1.5 billion every month but we said no, that will be too much for us, we are just coming. What is the allocation that they will be taking N1.5 billion every month? So we are talking with the bank on how to review it.

Read full interview on Thursday Vanguard